Don’t Miss Arlington’s Own Home Improvement Showcase This Saturday! CPRO is again pleased to be partnering with Arlington County’s Housing Division to bring local residents a one-stop shopping opportunity for all your home improvement needs. Whether you are looking to put an addition on your home, remodel a kitchen or bath, install energy <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->efficient replacement windows, build decks and patios, or to pursue dozens of other projects including painting, paving, roofing, gutters, basement waterproofing, and more, expert exhibitors will be on hand to answer your questions, show you their products, and explain their services. Come learn how they can help you enhance the beauty, value, and energy efficiency of your home. Local banks will also be there to assist you in financing your home improvements, and local government and non-profit representatives will be available with information and advice. Plan to attend this wonderful, local home show on Saturday, April 11, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Walter Reed Community Center. Admission is FREE.   Arlington’s Fresh AIRE initiative will give a FREE compact fluorescent light bulb to the first 200 attendees who visit their booth. You’ll also enjoy a variety of FREE classes and seminars. You could also win one of many FREE raffle prizes. And, Big Daddy’s BBQ will be cooking up savory fare right outside the Community Center. For more information, a list of classes, and a list of all exhibitors go to www.arlingtonhomeshow.org. See you on Saturday!

 

As reported last month, the Giant grocery and pharmacy stores located on Columbia Pike at S. Adams St. will permanently close on Thursday, April 16, 2009, at 11 p.m. to make way for demolition and construction of the new Penrose Square development. Effective Friday, April 17, 2009, Giant will open a temporary pharmacy at 2408 Columbia Pike located opposite this shopping center in the space next to Rappahannock Coffee. The temporary Pharmacy will remain open until the new Penrose Square Giant Food and Pharmacy store opens in 2011. To minimize inconvenience to its customers, Giant will provide free round-trip shuttle service between the temporary pharmacy location and the Giant located at Bailey’s Crossroads.  The shuttle will pick up passengers directly behind the temporary pharmacy and will run on the following days and times:

Construction continues on the north side of the Pike around S. Highland St. with the installation of new curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and tree pits, and this work will continue westward to S. Oakland St. Once the north side is complete, crews will begin work on the south side at S. Oakland, and then move east all the way to S. Garfield St.  Meanwhile, a water main replacement project between S. Glebe and S. Oakland St. is also scheduled to begin in 4 to 6 weeks. A public presentation of proposed changes to the County’s Parking and Curb Space plan will take place on Monday, April 13 at 7:00 pm at the Walter Reed Community Center. This meeting is open to all.  

 

A project to implement a variety of physical improvements to the Jefferson Middle School won School Board approval on April 2. The $4.3 million effort will provide additional windows, lighting, dome skylights, and other interior modifications to enhance the educational experience, as well as new carpet, ceiling tiles, and paint. The architecture firm of Perkins Eastman is doing the design work and an RFP for the construction phase is being developed. Implementation of the improvements is expected to begin in September. A separate project previously approved will involve replacing the mechanical systems of the building located at 125 S. Old Glebe Rd at S. 2^nd St. in Arlington Heights.

 

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->CPRO is pleased to report that local favorites Lalibela Restaurant (Ethiopian) and Restaurante Abi (Salvadorian/Tex Mex) will be among the 40+ Arlington eateries participating in the Taste of Arlington 2009 to be held on Sunday, May 17 in Ballston. For more information visit www.tasteofarlington.com.   In other local dining news, Sunday Brunch is now being offered at the L.A. Bar & Grill. The word on the street is that there are many choices and the food is great! The L.A. Bar & Grill is located on the back side of the Arlington Village Shopping Center where S. Cleveland St. meets the Pike. In case you missed them…in recent months CPRO has published feature stories by Zuraidah Hoffman on Columbia Pike restaurants such as Dama (Ethiopian), Restaurante Abi, and Rincome (Thai). To access these entertaining and informative articles on our website click here.

 

At the recent Arlington Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Awards three of Sheraton National Hotel’s top employees were lauded for their exemplary service and received 2009 Hospitality Superstar awards. They were Banquet Captain Ghirmay Hiabu for his adept work as Banquet Captian; Purchasing Manager John Gildersleeve for his extra duties during the inauguration week; and Bell Captain Bereket Yenae for the excellent care he provides to guests including the families of service members lost in Iraq or Afganistan. We extend our thanks and congratulations to all three for their fine work at Columbia Pike’s largest hotel.

 

FLUX 09 An Art Sensory Overload featuring over 40 artists and performers and live music will take the area by storm on Saturday, April 18, 6pm to midnight, at Jazi Rock Studios, 3213 Columbia Pike. This FREE event is presented by Art Outlet.

Bowen McCauley Dance and their Kenmore Junior Company are presenting Gian Carlo Menotti’s madrigal fable The Unicorn, Gorgon & the Manticore on April 18 & 19 at the Kenmore Performing Arts Center, 200 S. Carlin Springs Rd. The performance on the 18^th is at 7:30 pm, and on the 19^th is at 3:00 pm. For information and tickets go to www.dance@bmdc.org.

Do you like fiddles and flutes, guitars, drums, banjo, and the hammered dulcimer? The Irish Breakfast Band will perform their repertoire of Celtic tunes at a May 1^st concert (7:30 pm) at Arlington Presbyterian, 3507 Columbia Pike. For more information call 703-920-5660 or visit apc@arlingtonpresbyterian.org

The Columbia Pike Documentary Project has received a $5,000 grant award from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities toward its efforts to capture the essence of the Pike through oral history and photography. To see some of their work in progress go to http://cpdpcolumbiapike.blogspot.com, and for more information contact Paula Endo at paulaendo@gmail.com, or Lloyd Wolf at lloydwolf@lloydwolf.com.

On Sat. April 25 Arlington UMC’s Faith Renaissance Studio will present its New Creations Café Coffeehouse to benefit Doorways for Women & Families. The 5:30-7:30 pm event in the Fellowship Hall features a display of work from the recent “Creating from the Heart” workshop, and live music by Wes Davis. Admission is free, and donations to Doorways will be gratefully accepted. At the Studio’s next workshop (Sun. May 3, 1-3:30 pm) students will create “Faux Faberge” eggs with polymer clay. For more info go to arts@arlingtonumc.com.

Want to learn to Salsa? Go to the The Salsa Room (at Cecilia’s Restaurant), 2619 Columbia Pike,  any Saturday for their fun classes. The Beginner Session is from 8-8:45 pm, and the Intermediate Session is from 8:45-9:30 pm. The cover charge is $10.

 

Prime retail space is available in the Westmont Shopping Center at Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Rd. The space formerly occupied by Hollywood Video has 6438 sq. ft. on the ground floor, and 3512 sq. ft. of basement level storage, and offers excellent visibility from the Pike’s busiest intersection. A smaller space next door is also available. It offers 1037 sq. ft. on the ground floor, and 486 sq. ft. of basement level storage. The contact is Marianne Pukal of Polinger Shannon and Luchs at (301) 968-9134.

 

The Kiwanis Club of South Arlington is holding their Annual Auction Benefit and Social on Saturday, May 2 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM the Lyon Park Community Center (414 N. Fillmore St.).   The evening offers loads of great items for auction (both live and silent), wine and hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment. All proceeds are donated to local charities that assist children in need. Event tickets are $20 in advance or at the door. Contact: Mr. Harro Wulf, 703-243-5345.  

And, with the April 15^th tax deadline right around the corner, don’t forget that if you need assistance preparing your taxes (and earn less than $22,000 or have an annual family income less than $42,000), the ECDC Enterprise Development Group (www.entdevgroup.org) is providing five straight days of free income tax preparation from April 10-15^th (5:30 PM - 9:00 PM) at their headquarters on 901 S. Highland Street #341, right off Columbia Pike. Contact:   Roman Corpus at roman@entdevgroup.org. Free tax preparation is also being offered by AARP (www.aarp.org/taxaide) at the Columbia Pike Library (816 S. Walter Reed Dr.) on April 9 and April 11 from 10:00 AM –2:00 PM and April 14^th from 1:15 PM – 7:45 PM.

The popular Columbia Pike Farmers Market will re-open for its 15^th delicious year on Sunday, May 3.  Come check out the fresh, ripe produce coming in from local farmers every Sunday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in Pike Park, at the corner of S. Walter Reed Dr. and Columbia Pike. Also, if you or someone you know produces handmade arts and crafts and would like to sell at the Farmers Market please contact CPRO at 703-892-2776.

 

The Columbia Pike Branch Library’s brand new Youth Services Librarian, Desiree Fairooz, inaugurates the Spring Quarter on Monday April 13 with the following free programs: Baby Steps at 2pm, Twos & Threes Together  at 4pm (to register for either, call 703-228-5710) and Cuentos para toda la familia / Spanish language stories for all ages (no registration required) on Mondays at 7 PM from April 13 –May 18^th. Welcome Desiree! The Columbia Pike Library (816 S. Walter Reed Dr.) is also pleased to host a special workshop on Creating Graphic Novels on April 25^th at 1 PM. The workshop is presented by comic book author and the co-creator of the graphic novel series and nationally syndicated comic strip “Mail Order Ninja” and offers students ages 10 and up the opportunity to learn the basic and finer points of creating graphic novels. For more information, contact mmiller@arlington.va.us or call 703-228-5261.

 

CPRO’s annual membership drive is underway. Each year CPRO gratefully receives a grant from Arlington County that covers almost one-third of our budget. For the other two-thirds we rely on the support of our members, as well as organizations and companies who sponsor our events. Today, our members include 20 civic organizations, 65 businesses, and more than 180 local residents. Please join them in becoming a CPRO member today. To access a residential/civic or business membership form, please click here. Thank you!

 

As always, the CPRO staff welcomes your input. Email your suggestions, questions, comments, and offers of assistance to Jim Whittaker at jwhittaker@columbiapike.org; Pam Holcomb at pholcomb@columbiapike.org; or Amy McWilliams at amcwilliams@columbiapike.org or call 703-892-2776. Know someone who would like to receive the CPRO e-Newsletter? Please send us email addresses and we will add them to our distribution list.   As always, for more information about what’s happening on the Pike go to www.columbiapike.org.